More than a century after the RMS Titanic sank beneath the icy waters of the North Atlantic, one of its rarest surviving artefacts has found a new owner. The cork-filled flotation device, worn by 22-year-old first-class passenger Laura Mabel Francatelli, was sold by Henry Aldridge & Son in Wiltshire for £670,000 (around $900,715 including fees), more than double its pre-sale estimate. According to BBC, it is the only Titanic survivor's lifejacket to have been sold at auction in the 114 years since the disaster, making it a once-in-a-lifetime artefact for collectors. More than just a life-saving device, the cream-coloured canvas vest carries the signatures of Francatelli and seven fellow survivors from the same lifeboat, making it one of the most historically significant personal relics ever recovered from the 1912 disaster. The remarkable sale reflects the enduring fascination with the Titanic and the individual stories of those who survived.
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